(a) Field
The subject matter disclosed generally relates to reconfigurable furniture, and more specifically to reconfigurable tables and bars.
(b) Related Prior Art
The sharing of food at a table is among one of the oldest tradition of the human race. An unfortunate consequence of having large groups of individuals gather to participate in such activities is the difficulty for all participants to communicate with one another around the table. Individuals are normally surrounded by the same participants for the duration of the activity, unless they get up and exchange position. This may lead to a lack of conviviality around the table and in extreme situations it may give rise to frustrating and disappointing experiences when individuals who wanted to entertain a discussion are unable to do so because of the lack of space.
Furniture that may adopt multiple configurations are well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,183 to Rusyniak discloses a combination table and leg rest for a reclining chair, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,114 to Cohen et al. discloses a space station wardroom table. In both cases, the furniture articles may be reconfigured to serve multiple purposes such as serving as a foot rest or a table, and fold so as to use less space or accommodate the surfaces to microgravity environment. Also, one of the simplest incarnations of such article of furniture is a table to which one or more panels are added to accommodate a larger number of individuals.
Despite the fact that some of the solutions taught by the prior art allow to accommodate more individuals around the table, they are not facilitating the interactions and communications of all the participants that are taking place around it. Therefore, there is a need for furniture such as tables and bars that help facilitate the interactions and communications of the individuals around it.